The Weight of Lies is a fantastic mystery/suspense which is really a story within a story. Megan Ashley is the daughter of Frances Ashley, a self absorbed woman who has written a blockbuster novel almost forty years ago. The novel was written while Frances was living on Bonny Island and it has been an instant sensation because it seems to have some links to true events (murders) that happened on the island while Frances was there. The story alternates between Frances's 40 year old novel and the present time during which Megan has been asked by a publishing company to tell the real story of her life with Frances as a harsh mother. Megan agrees and heads back to Bonny Island to do some research and to meet some of the people that lived on the island when her mother was there. While she is there, she comes a bit too close to solving the murders on the island forty years ago. Who can she really trust? Definitely a page turner!!

I have been really lucky with reading a few good books in a row now. This one was super fantastic and I read it in a quick three days. I love thrillers, and this book is definitely that. I had thought many times that I had figured out all the lies in the novel, and I was quickly surprised to find out that I was wrong. This book left me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I raced through it to figure out what was exactly going on.

Meg Ashely, daughter of Frances Ashley a famous novelist, finally decides to go home and wish her mother a happy birthday. She soon discovers she will be disappointed again. When she’s home, though, she meets Asa who sends her on an investigation to Bonny Island. Once there, she discovers finding out the truth of what happened on the island is going to be much more complicated than she thought. Will she discover why there is no longer guests on the island, and why everyone is acting so strange? Read to find out.

Every character in the novel had lies that they were using to ‘protect’ others. The more lies that are piled on, the more complicated the plot became. Even at the end, I wasn’t sure who I wanted to believe.

I really enjoyed the book inside a book aspect in this novel. It definitely helped add to the thrilling/creepy factor. Frances Ashley had stayed on Bonny Island forty years before and became a bestselling author based on her book about the little girl at the hotel. Between Meg’s chapters, there is an excerpt from the chapters of Frances’s book Kitten. This helps add to the ‘creepy’ factor of the novel. The excerpts also help add to the mysteriousness of the characters. Was Frances’s book purely fiction, or were there tidbits of truth in the pages?

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller and mystery. The plot is very complex but isn’t hard to follow. Carpenter wove a wonderful story that will leave you guessing who is telling the truth the entire time.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was the type of book that I wanted to read first thing when I woke up, before bed, and any time I had even a few minutes to spare!

It was a fast paced page turner, that kept me guessing. I was sad to finish it, because I really enjoyed this story.

Read this book. You will not be disappointed.

Mother and daughter relationships are sometimes difficult and Megan and her mother, the author of a cult horror novel, really don't get along. The novel that has made Frances Ashley and, by association, daughter Megan rich and famous is based on events that occurred 40 years previously, which may or may not be true.

In this book (The Weight of Lies) Megan decides to write a tell-all memoir to mainly get back at her mother and also to find out if there is any truth to her mother's greatest work. She is not prepared for what her research and investigations reveal.

An easy to read, entertaining family mystery drama with a few twists, and lots of lies.

Forty years ago, Frances Ashley wrote a horror book, "Kitten", that changed her life and everyone that came in touch with it. Just before the 40th anniversary of the book, Megan Asley, Frances' daughter, was convinced to write a book about her life with her mother, the lies and deceits between them, but above all to try and figure out whether there is any truth in the mystery her mother wrote about in "Kitten".
So, she set off to the Bonny Island, the original set of the book.

There was something addictive about this book that made me forget the time and just keep reading. I owe this book many late sleeping nights! For me, it felt like something out of a Hitchcock movie.
A private island with a defect Manor/Hotel and only 4 people living in it, a mission ruin, a 40 years old unsolved mystery, i don't know why but i was almost seeing the scenes from the book in black and white.

I got caught in this book, maybe because it felt like reading two books at the same time, one set in the 70s and the other in the present day; i really liked that the author "included" parts of chapters of the book "Kitten". In a way, it was very interesting, even though they were not complete chapters, more like excerpts, i felt that i did not miss any detail from that story. That was really a nice touch.

Now, the story and the characters were fascinating. Everyone was lying or hiding secrets, and at some point, i couldn't tell anymore who can be trusted. I kept going through many theories in my head, some of them where close enough, but one particular revelation really surprised me.
It's been a while since i felt this way about a book and i am glad i discovered Emily Carpenter, i am definitely waiting for me by her.

A NetGalley e-book in exchange for an honest review.

"The child had some oddities - a few secretive tendencies and strange habits"

Not going to lie, it took me a few chapters to get invested in the characters and plot. Once things started going though I got sucked right in.

Megan Ashley (Meg) leads a life of privilege since her mom, Francis Ashley, wrote arguably one of the greatest books of her time. As the 40th anniversary of the book rolls around Meg’s anger and hatred toward her not always there mother has grown exponentially. What better way to get back at her then write her own book, a tell-all memoir that exposes the real Francis Ashley.

As Meg digs into her mother’s past she starts uncovering more than she bargained for. With a cast of crazy characters that all have their own 40 year old lies the plot takes some interesting turns.

4* Lies, Lies and more Lies Stars

The Weight of Lies is a fascinating thriller that was suspenseful and packed with twists and turns. As the title suggests it was full of secrets and lies and it had me asking throughout the book, who committed the crime and what weapon did they commit it with? The book definitely had elements of ‘Mommy issues” and on a lighter note it had some light romance thrown into it as well. This novel within a novel will keep you guessing until the end and along the way questioning which characters to like and trust and who to dislike?

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and Emily Carpenter for allowing me to read this e-book for an honest opinion.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into the story, mainly because i am not used to the style of writing. I tend to steer clear of books that flips from past to present. There is no denying that it was a well written book and it wouldn't stop me from reading more books by this author. I rarely write what a story is about for fear of spoiling for others, but I do recommend this novel if you don't mind stories which flips from past to present.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. This is my honest review.

What a page turner! I was so into reading this book, nothing else mattered! Great development of characters, the story is rich in emotions! I love a book that allows me to fill emotion and this book did just that. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It does not end the way you think it does.

2 stars. I had to push myself to finish this book.

After seeing so many great reviews, I had high hopes for this book and unfortunately it fell completely flat for me. I just couldn’t get into the storyline or the characters’ lives whatsoever. I didn’t like the main character Meg. She was spoiled, selfish, immature and grew to be quite annoying! I also found she did things that didn’t fit with her persona – her character was inconsistent for me. Even though her childhood was not a happy one, I could not sympathize with her.

The novel started off well. I liked the idea of the storyline and how it was a book about a book. I also liked the old manor house on the island and the atmosphere that was created. However, quite quickly the story became unrealistic and somewhat absurd. The love story seemed forced and awkward – it didn’t fit for me - I felt it was added to simply include some romance in the book.

I figured out one of the big twists early on in the book which NEVER happens for me. This ended up taking away from the dramatic and implausible ending which fell completely flat for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Gripping. Enthralling. Captivating. Carpenter knows how to ensnare her reader and then let them go when the story ends. I would definitely place this book in the hands of other readers!

Boy this was GOOD. I was hooked as soon as I started reading The Weight Of Lies and it managed to hold my attention until the very end. The story POV switches between the so-called ‘Kitten’ chapter bites out of the book the main character’s mother Frances wrote 40 years ago and the actual story. Those little chapters definitely added a little something extra to the story: a unique feel, a healthy dose of suspense and intrigue about what is still to come… But this doesn’t mean that the actual plot isn’t anything less than brilliant. Besides the fact that I fell in love with the writing style almost instantly, The Weight Of Lies is also packed with plot twists, secrets, lies and unreliable characters that will keep you wondering about both what really happened all those years ago and what is happening right now. I found myself eagerly turning the pages (or in this case, finger-stabbing my kindle) to try and find out what everybody was hiding and what secrets the island will reveal. Another bonus: this story managed to surprise me more than once, which trust me doesn’t happen all that often anymore. I also liked the plot itself and the fact that both writing and books themselves play such a big role in the story. I admit I wasn’t a fan of every character, but the relationship between Meg and her writing mother is well developed and brilliantly executed. Then again, the descriptions in general were very well done and really set the right atmosphere for this story. If you enjoy reading psychological thrillers, you will be in for a treat with this one!

This is a good book but I preferred her first book Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, over this one. I think I would have enjoyed this one more had I read it first. The books are stand alone novels but I felt this book was a bit more rushed and didnt flow as well for me.

I read this while hiking. I think that added to the setting, but I really enjoyed this book. Family mystery with tons of turns. The main character decides to write a tell all about her famous author mother and the book, Kitten, that made her famous. Who really killed a young girl all those years ago. Who can be trusted? Real page turner.

The Weight of Lies, the newest release by Emily Carpenter, was a book that I had been recommended to me by several of my favourite bloggers, so I knew I had to read this one ASAP!

The novel opens with Meg, reformed party girl and daughter to superstar writer extraordinaire Frances Ashby. Ashby, who is best known for a best-selling horror novel, Kitten, has made her fortune off of the murder of a young girl that inspired the book. Forty years later, and sick of her relationship with her mother, Meg is pushed over the edge by a personal tragedy and agrees to write a tell-all book about her mother. Digging into the past, and the cult classic her mother wrote, Meg finds herself in Bonny Island, Georgia questioning the facts of the decades-old murder. And, when Meg finds herself in danger, she realises her mother’s book isn’t the only horror that came from Bonny Island.

Truthfully, I had picked up and put down this novel several times before I finally made the commitment to read it. I was initially thrown off by the narrative style. The novel goes back and forth between present events, as Meg narrates, and excerpts from the Kitten novel, written by Frances Ashby. However, once I really sat down and dedicated some time, I found that although this novel was completely different from what I was expecting, I found myself entirely sucked in. Right from the first pages, I needed to know what truth was in the book and where Frances truly received her inspiration.

I loved the bit of diversity that Carpenter brings to the plot by adding in bits of Native American culture and combining that with the Southern Gothic style of Flannery O’Conner and William Faulker. I was fascinated by how this one felt like it was set it a completely different world.

Although I loved a majority of this novel, I did find the end a little lacklustre. I felt like I had lots of build up but not enough satisfaction by the way the ending was executed. Even with that, overall, I found this to be a highly entertaining read.

Highly recommended for those who like atmospheric family drama built into their thrillers. I gave it a 4/5 stars!

This story is about Megan, the daughter of a famous author, Frances, who wrote a book many years ago called Kitten. The story unfolds as Megan tries to write a memoir about her awful relationship with her mother and also about how the story of Kitten came about. She finds out along the way all the secrets and lies of her past.
Now, I really liked the plot and the alternating Kitten chapters. I loved how the book kept you guessing until the very end. However, I felt it read a lot like a YA mystery which isn't a bad thing but not what I was expecting. Also, I found Megan a bit annoying at times, but it wasn't bad enough for me not to be interested in what happens next. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fun mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

4.5/5

The Weight of Lies is a well-crafted mystery. It starts with a bit of a slow burn but has a very southern gothic noir feel to it. The book revolves around Meg Ashley, daughter of Frances Ashley. Frances Ashley is a best-selling author of cult-classic Kitten. Frances and Meg have a very strained relationship, to the point where Meg is convinced to write a tell-all memoir about her life and her neglect from her mother.

Meg is determined to have a life outside her mother's, where people don't just assume she got a job because of her mom or where she is being used based on her connections. She realizes this will be the end of their relationship and has come to terms with it. Her mother is immortalized by her fans, but they don't know the Frances that Meg does.

As Meg begins her research on how Kitten was written, she starts uncovering details and doesn't know who to believe. Her mother always said the book was a work of fiction, but the more Meg digs, the more it seems the story is non-fiction. However, there are many sides to the story, now she needs to figure out which is the truth.

This book had me glued to the last 30 pages, I couldn't wait to see what unfolded. I look forward to more works from Emily Carpenter.

Meg Ashley grew up with a successful author for a mother.  Her mother, Frances, wrote a murder mystery novel that was extremely popular and brought attention to herself and Meg from as early as Meg can remember.  The book was so popular that it maintained a cult following throughout the many years since it was published.  Meg and her mother are not close and though having everything a person could want much less need, Meg resented her mother and the book (she never even read the book).

When the novel begins, Meg is approached to write a tell-all style book about her mother.  She agrees and goes to Bonny Island, Georgia (the setting of her mom's book) to write about her life with Frances.  Once there, Meg sees that not all is as she assumed.  She meets an interesting set of characters who each have their own agenda.  Part way through her visit her mother arrives.  Her arrival kicks the action into higher gear.

This book will keep you guessing as to who is a good guy or bad guy and who is guilty of murder.  It turns out Frances' book is not entirely fiction.  I really enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to reading more by this author.  She is skilled in laying out a mystery that is not obvious and maintained my interest throughout.  When not reading, I found myself wondering what was going to happen next and wanting to get back to the book to find out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

3.75 Stars. Overall, this book was very suspenseful. I did not enjoy the alternating chapters of the "book within the book". They were a distraction and IMO did not add anything to the book's storyline. However, I did enjoy the writing and will definitely read more by Emily Carpenter.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. A book that keeps you guessing until the last page. A classic thriller.